‘Commuters rights movement’ (Payanippor Nala Sangam) has been working to address service delivery failures & other issues in public transport system. Loksatta Party Tamilnadu plays an important role in ‘Commuters rights movement’. The common public brought to us a few issues on the service deficiencies prevailing in Transport Department and we made field visits and surveys in routes and also files RTI’s to bring out the truth.

1) Government buses in all districts are collecting excess fares and not the fixed fares. Particularly Ordinary buses collect the charges of Deluxe/Express buses. For example, in the field observation conducted by our movement in Thiruvallur district, all Ordinary buses in the routes 197, 582, 582U, 82C, 171, 172, 173, 86, 105C collect Express bus charges instead of ordinary bus fares.

Route No.

Type

From

To

Distance

Ordinary Fare

Express Fare

197

Ordinary

Thiruthani

Thiruvalllur

42 km

Rs.18

Rs.24

522

Ordinary

Thiruvallur

Uthukottai

27 km

Rs.12

Rs.16

582

Ordinary

Thiruvallur

Uthukottai

27 km

Rs.12

Rs.16

92

Ordinary

Uthukottai

Periyapalayam

18 km

Rs. 8

Rs. 11

2) Express buses should stop only at the designated Bus stops unlike Ordinary buses which should stop at all Bus stops. However most of the Express buses stop at all bus stops, irrespective of collecting Excess Bus fares. The above mentioned routes in the 1st point operate that way.

Route No.

Type

From

To

Distance

Ordinary Fare

Express Fare

105C

Express

Thiruvallur

Arakonam

34 km

Rs.15

Rs.20

92

Express

Uthukottai

Redhills

42 km

Rs. 18

Rs. 24

82C

Express

Thiruvallur

Chengalpat

59 km

Rs. 25

Rs. 34

171

Express

Thriuvallur

Gummidipoondi

51 km

Rs. 22

Rs. 29

3) As per Motor Vehicles Act, 1989 section 246 (Part C), the total commute distance of Express buses should not be less than 80 Km. It also specifies that the distance between two stages should not be less than 25 Km. However these rules are not followed in the all express buses. The above mentioned routes in the 1st point are example for this violation.

Route No.

Type

From

To

Distance

522

Express

Thiruvallur

Uthukottai

27 km

105C

Express

Thiruvallur

Arakonam

35 km

92

Express

Uthukottai

Periyapalayam

18 km

Stage of express services falling in short distances (less than 25 kms)

Thiruthani – Chennai via Thiruvallur

Uthukottai – Chennai via Periyapalayam

Thiruvallur – Chengalpat via Sriperumbudur

Kanchipuram – Chennai via Sriperumbudur

4) As per the notification of transport department, all bus route should be operated with 60% Ordinary and 40% Express and other buses. But at present 90% Express Buses & 10% Ordinary buses are operated. Likewise there are no Town buses operated in a few routes. For example in the Tiruttani – Kanagammal Sathiram, Oothukkottai- Periyapaalayam, Oothukkottai – Tiruvallur route there is no Town bus plied at all.

Thiruvallur – Arakonam

Thiruvallur – Sriperumbudur

Town services not operated

Thiruvallur – Kanakamma Chatram (24 km)

Thiruthani – Thomur (26 km)

Uthukottai – Thiruvallur (27 km)

Thiruvallur – Poonamallee (26 km)

Thiruvallur – Avadi (22km)

Thiruvallur – Thakkolam, (30 km)

Thiruvallur – Periyapalayam. (30 km)

Uthukottai – Periyapalayam (18km)

5) Other than this we allege the following: In the 16 Km stretch from Poonamalle to CMBT via Maduravoyal, the Govt fixed fare for the route is Rs.9. But all the government buses collect Rs. 14 as the fare against the fixed fare. So from eash passenger an excess of Rs.5 is collected.Buses ply approximately 400 times a day on this particular route and Govt Inappropriately collects approximately 80,000 a day (400 times * 40 Passengers (avg) * 5 rs). So for one year this amounts to 2 crores and 88 lakhs (80000 3012) and going by this account Govt has inappropriately collected 10 crore and 80 lakhs approximately till day. (This excess collection started from Nov 2011)

From

To

Via

Distance

Fare to be collected

Current collection fare

Poonamallee

Koyambedu

Maduravoyal

16 km

₹9

₹14

Poonamallee

Koyambedu

Porur,Guindy

24 km

₹14

₹14

6) The transport department follows far greater distance than the distance provided by Highways department and collects excess fare accordingly. For example, as per the records of Highways department, the distance between Poonamalle Bus stand and Thiruvallur Bus stand is 25.8 Km. But the information given by the Transport department records say that the distance is 29 Km. Also This happens in most of the routes.

From

To

Transport

Highway

Diff

Kanchipuram

Sriperumbudur

40 km

35 km

5 km

Thiruvallur

Poonamallee

29 km

26 km

3 km

Koyambedu

Thiruvanmiyur

26 km

17 km

9 km

Koyambedu

Tirupati

152 km

167 km

15 km

Koyambedu

Avadi

22 km

17 km

5 km

Thiruvallur

Sriperumbudur

23 km

20 km

3 km

Thiruvallur

Thiruthani

42 km

40 km

2 km

7) We also reliably understand that the transport authority without getting any permission operating some routes like as the services of 1 To 1 (One to One),1 TO 2, 1 TO 3, 1 TO 4, 1 TO 5, Deluxe.

8) We also came to know that Town Buses also are collecting Rs.4 in some routes and Rs.5 in some routes against the actual fare of Rs.3.

9) The local Private Buses also collect Express Fare instead of Ordinary fareWe sent the above as representation to Gov on 22.06.2014 and some of the officials of Respondent Corporation approached us and requested not to take any action and they will resolve the issue by placing the same before legislative assembly within 3 months but till date the grievance continue and the respondents are acting according to their whims and fancies and the public money is looted and the common man is cheated.